Apparatus for the manufacture of foliated glass



APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE 0F FOLIATED GLASS Original Filed May 25, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 3nnentorg Gttomeg Aug. 5, 1941. E. H. WELLECH EIAL APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FOLIATED GLASS Original Filed May 25, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 5, 1941. E. H. WELLECH ETAL APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FOLIATED GLASS Original Filed May 25, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 S r. w n 2 D n M 8- 5, 1941- E. H. WELLECH EI'AL 2,251,727

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FOLIATED GLASS Original Filed May 25, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Ismaentor;

Wfl M114 M dttornegs Fatented Aug. 5, 1941 APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE or FOLIATED cmss Edmund H. Wellech, Coming, and Walter G. Weber, Painted Post, N. Y., a'ssignors to Corning Glass Works, Corning, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application May 25, 1937, Serial No. 144,712. Divided and this application February 18, 1938, Serial No. 191,294

Claims. I (01. 49-1) The present invention is a division of the copending Wellech-Weber application, Serial Number 144,712, filed May 25, 1937, and relates to apparatus for the manufacture of foliated glass.

There are a great many possible uses for glass inthis form, quite a number of which are suggested, in British Patent No. 449,239 granted to P. E. Harth, June 11, 1936. The extent of the commercial possibilities of such glass, however, depends directly upon the facilities available for its quantity production in the thicknesses selected as most suitable for the particular applications of use. Foliated glass may be produced by blowing glass into bubbles until they break or fracture, as suggested by Harth. Since, however, the wall of a bubble of glass is tapered from the root, much of the foliated glass produced in this manner will be wedge shaped. Furthermore, there is no way of insuring that a major portion of the flakes so produced will be of a uniform thickness, or of a thickness having the greatest range of commercial utility. It is therefore necessary, in order to obtain a quantity of flakes within certain defined limitations as to thickness, to produce an excessive amount of material and to then sort the desired material 1 therefrom.

An object of the present invention is the quantity production of follated glass of any of a wide range of uniform thicknesses suitable for commercial application.

Features of the invention include (a) a container in the form of a rotating bowl having a bottom outlet from which molten glass flows in the form of a cylindrical stream; (21) provisions for applying heat to the molten glass in the bowl and also to the glass as it is issuing from the outlet thereof to so control the viscosity .of the glass that the wall thickness of the stream can be maintained in accordance with that of the foliated glass desired; (0) a pipe for supplying air for attenuating and setting the glass when heavy gauges of foliated glass are being produced, and also for breaking it up into foliated form when the lighter gauges of foliated glass are being produced; (d) a rotating arm in the path of the stream which breaks up the glass at a selected level below the bowl outlet when the heavier gauges of foliated glass are being produced, and (e) a fan which separates the foliated glass from any cullet which may at times be produced, and further separates and directs the movement of the different gauges of foliated glass into separate chambers.

Other features include a pair of power driven rollers between which the streams of glass of certain wall thicknesses are preferably passed before being broken up into foliated form.

In the drawings,

Figs. 1 and 2, arranged with Fig. 1 above Fig. 2, comprises a side elevation partly in section of an apparatus embodying this invention;

Fig. 3 comprises a side elevation partly in section-of a fragmentary portion of a modified form of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2; I

Fig. 4 comprises a side elevation partly in section of a fragmentary portion of a modified form of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the lower portion of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view taken on line 66 'of Fig. 4.,

In the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, a melting tank II is provided with a gate 12 for cutting off the flow of glass l3 to the extended forehearth It. The rate of flow from the forehearth, through a bottom outlet I5 and a connected spout I6, is controlled by a flow control needle II which may be elevated or lowered by overhead apparatus (not shown) to regulate the flow in any well known manner.

, glass flowing from the spout I 6 and for converting such glass into foliated form is mounted on a suitable carriage 20. A square frame-like casting 2| is fixed to four angle-iron standards 23 secured to the carriage and has a shallow annular channel 21 in its upper surface surrounding the upper end of a flanged cylindrical portion 28. The channel 21 serves as a track for a ring gear 3| which supports a cylinder 32. This cylinder has a plurality of internal webs 34 each having a protruding lug tapped to accommodate a cap screw 35. These screws serve as adjustable leveling supports for an annular casting 35 which serves as a bed fora refractory ring 31 on which a bowl 38 of refractory material is mounted below the spout It. The external wall of the bowl 38 is insulated against excessive heat loss by insulating refractory material ll packed between it and cylinder 32 and is covered by a refractory dome 40 supported by an annular flange 44 of an externally square casting 45 in turn supported by four studs 46 extending between it and the casting 2|. The dome III has a number of apertures 41 for receiving burners (not shown) and an aperture 49 serving as a flue for waste gases.

the spout l6 and an air supply pipe '50.

Other openings are obviously provided-for accommodating I 53. adapted to be rotated by a hand wheel 55.

The weight of bracket '54 and ofequipment supstream of molten glass to flow into the bowl.

The glass accumulating in bowl 38 rises and finally starts flowing over the curb of its bottom outlet 16. At the beginning this glass will ported by it (described'hereafter) is counterbalanced by a weighted cable 58 so that the bracket 54 remains at any level to'which ithas been moved. The free end of bracket 54 is -provided with two horizontally disposed ringsse through which the air supply pipe 58 passes. The upper portion of this pipe is threaded to receive a hand wheel 60 supported by a thrust washer 6| resting on the top of the upper ring 56 and by means of which a closer adjustment of the height of pipe 50 can be obtained than is practicable with hand wheel 55. Cap screws 62 threaded through the walls of the rings 56 enter a vertical groove 63 in pipe 50 toprevent the pipe being turned during rotation of hand wheel 60. Air is delivered to pipe 50. in any conven- '|l adjustably secured to the casting 2|.

tional manner as by a flexible tubing connected to the top end of the pipe.

In mesh with the teeth of the ring gear 3| is a pinion 65 attached to a shaft 66 passing through a suitable bearing in casting 2| and driven by any suitable power source, herein shown as an electric motor 61 and an intervening gear reduction unit 69. Arranged around the ring gear 3| are a number of brackets 18 carrying rollers h e flange would rollers are brought into contact with the 12 of cylinder 32 to prevent friction which otherwise occur between the walls of the channel 21.

Secured to the flange of the cylindrical portion 28 of casting 2| is a hollow frusto-conically shaped casting I3 adapted to support concengear 3|. and the sidetrically arranged refractory rings 14 and 15' which together form an annular burner port having its opening directed toward the lower external edge of the bowl outlet 16. A fuel line 11 encircles the casting l3 and is adjustably supported on" blocks carried by cap screws 18 threaded through lugs integral with casting I3. The fuel line has a number of branches 8| terminating in suitable burner openings through the refractory ring 74. f

A sheet metal jacket comprising. sections 83 and 83' extends from the bottom edge of casting I3 through the carriage 20 to a floor below the level of the carriagewhere' it is fitted with a removable cullet pan 84. A series of tubes 82, which may be connected with a source of air supply, enter the section 83 and serve a purpose which will be brought out hereinafter. One side of the jacket section 83' is provided with a side opening 8.5 equipped with an exhaust fan 86 for drawing foliated glass through a flue 81 into a suitable container 80. Opposite and slightly above the flue opening a motor 88 drives an arm 89, which may be set at any selected height on the motor shaft 89". This arm passes through the path of the glass cylinder when certain gauges of foliated glass are being produced and is set at a height dependent on the gauge of glass. de-

3 sired, as will hereinafter be fully described.

stant speed, and needle 11 raised to allow a emerges from the outlet in the form of a cylindrical stream, which is held in suitably attenuated form by the introduction of air in the hollow thereof through pipe 50. The wallthickness of this stream depends very much upon the adjustment of needle I1 and the condition of the glass, which is very definitely maintained at a viscosity depending on the gauge of foliated glass to be produced by regulation of the amount of heatapplied to the glass in bowl 38 and to the stream as it issues from the bowl outlet.

When light gauges offoliated glass are to be produced, 1. e., gauges'from 1 to 5 microns in thickness, the various burners used in applying heat to the glass, in bowl 38 and to the stream as it issues-from the bowl outlet, are so adjusted as to maintain the viscosity of the glass very low. It has been found that the wall thickness of the cylindrical stream issuing from the outlet may.

be made so thin that air issuing from the pipe 50 will immediately set the glass and'blow it into bottom end of pipe 50 depending on the viscosity 4 of-the glass issuing "from the bowl outlet, and

will then break up into foliated-form.

- When using certain glassi'ormulae the distance below the outlet at which the glass breaks up may, however, be held more constant and, therefore, a more uniform product obtained by also introducing air directly into the jacket section 83 through an appropriate one of the tubes 82. Air supplied through the selected one of the tubes 82 coacts with that supplied by pipe 50 to create a turbulent air movement within the jacket such as to positively insure breaking up of the set'glass exactly at the distance ,below'the bowl outlet at whichthe desired gauge of foliated glass can best be produced.

In the production of the heavier of the above gauges o1 foliated glass, e'he set glass of the cylinder formed attains mechanical strength necessitating its being broken up by mechanical means. The weight of this set pendant glass is under these circumstances utilized as a drawing means, and .by breaking away the lower end of the cylinder at a selected distance below the bowl outlet a definite and uniform pull onthe glass at the root may be maintained. It has been found that by proper regulation of the viscosity of the glass flowing from the bowl outlet and the spacing ofbreaker arm 89 a suitable distance below the outlet any of the heavier of the above specified range of gauges of foliated glass can be produced. More specifically, to produce foliated glass of such gauge that the cylinders drawn are of the thinnest form needing to be broken up mechanically, the breaker arm'88 should be so spaced from the outlet 16 as to break away the bottomend of the cylinder just before its weight is such that separation in mass at the outlet would otherwise occur, whereas to produce foliated glass of still heavier of the above range of gauges, the breaker arm 89 shouldbe moved nearer the outlet to decrease the rate of draw.

Still heavier gauges of foliated glass, for example, gauges ranging from to microns in thickness, can be produced by the foregoing method by appropriately increasing the viscosity of the glass and volume of flow and by raising the breaker arm so as to maintain the amount of pendant glass at a When, however, the wall thickness of the stream is increased to the extent necessary to produce the heavier gauge of cylinder, it becomes necessary to substantially increase the volume of air supplied by pipe 59 in order to prevent the cylinder from collapsing, and unless the air is of constant volume there will result a variation in rate of diameter and wall thickness of the cylinder produced. In the quantity production of these heavier gauges of foliated glass, it is preferable, therefore, to flatten the cylinder while it is still in a plastic condition so as to very greatly reduce the area for the escape of air supplied to it by pipe 59. This en-' ables a comparatively small volume of air to suffice to hold the cylinder in attenuated form; and this small volume of air can be readily regulated to maintain a constant pressure against the cylinder wall so that better uniformity in wall thickness is possible than when the method employed requires a large volume of air.

A specific form of apparatus suitable for carrying out the last described method of producing the heavier gauges of foliated glass is illustrated.

in Figs. 4, 5, and 6.' This apparatusincludes a frame-work 93, secured to the four upright angle irons 29, and having mounted thereon a pair of bearing supporting channel rails 9|. Arranged between rails 99 are two rollers.95 and 95' each having pipes threaded in its ends serving as shafts on which they may be rotated. These shafts are journaled in suitable bearings 96 arranged on rails 99 and slidable thereon toward or away from each other by means of adjusting screws 91 and 99 threaded through the bases of the respective bearings, the screws themselves being keyed against endwise movement at 99 (Fig. 6). A hand crank I99 is secured to one end of screw 98 which is in turn geared to screw 91 by a drive chain III and suitable sprockets mounted on the screws. By this means the space between the rollers can be easily regulated.

The rollers 95 and 95' are driven in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions, respectively, by a drive chain I92 engaging sprocket wheel I93 and I94 on the roller shafts, an idler sprocket I95 journaled in a slidable bearing I99, and a sprocket I91 secured to one end of a countershaft I99 (Fig. 4) The other end of the countershaft carries a sprocket I99 driven by a chain II9 (Figs. 5 and 6) extending from a sprocket III of a reduction gear assembly II2 which is in turn driven by a motor I I3.

The rollers 95 and 95' are water cooled, and to accomplish this one end of a shaft of each roller is coupled to a pipe terminating in a T fitting I I4 (Figs. 5 and 6), the side entrance of which is to be connected to a water supply hose (not shown). A tube II5 passes through the run of the T into the roller and provides a passageway for the flow of water out of the roller.

In employing the foregoing apparatus the drums 95 and 95' may be initially separated to the extent necessary to readily permitthe down flowing plastic glass cylinder to pass between them, and may then be moved toward one another as necessary to flatten the cylinder to the extent movement. Since the rollers have a cooling medium constantly circulating through them, the flattened cylinder issuing therefrom will be fully set and upon encountering the path of the breaker arm 99 will be broken upinto foliated form.

Irrespective of the gauge of foliated glass being produced, such glass, instead of being permitted to drop to the bottom of the jacket and become mixed with cullet, is drawn through opening 85,

flue 81, and into a suitable chamber 99 by the suction created by fan 96. The flue 91 has also been illustrated in Fig. 3 as equipped with a series of passageways 92 through which the foliated glass particles pass in accordance with their weight. Any desired number of such passageways v may, obviously, be provided.

As will be well understood, the rotation of the bowl 39 is not essential, but insures uniformity of of the bowl outlet and to the glass issuing therefrom, the use of such burner may be dispensed with, as illustrated in Fig. 4 of the disclosure. In such a case ample heat is applied to the glass issuing from the bowl outlet by a change in the height of the air supply pipe 59. When this pipe is properly set the air flowing through it creates a down draft which draws hot gases from the area above the bowl, and which ordinarily pass out of flue 49, overthe glass issuing from the bowl outlet, making the employment of the annular burner unnecessary.

What we claim is:

1. In a glass working apparatus for the production of foliated glass, abowl having a bottom outlet surrounded by an annular curb over which low viscosity glass flows in the form of a cylinder, an enclosure for the cylinder, and means including a device for directing a stream of fluid into said enclosure in a direction transverse to the direction of flow of the cylinder for breaking away the lower end of the cylinder from the parent body.

2. In' a glass working apparatus for the pro duction of foliated glass, a bowl having a bottom outlet surrounded by an annular curb over which low viscosity glass flows in the form of a cylinder, means for supplying cooling air to the cylinder as required to maintain the diameter of the cylinder substantially the same as when flowed over said curb and to set the glass and break it away from the parent body, an enclosure for the, cylinder and a device for directing a stream of fluid into said enclosure to assist cylinder.

3. In a glass working apparatus for the pro? duction of foliated glass, a bowl having a bottom outlet surrounded by an annular curb over which low viscosity gas flows in theform of a cylinder, means for supplying cooling air to the cylinder as required to set up the glass and to maintain the diameter of the cylinder substantiallythe same as when flowed over said curb, and fluid supply means arranged at a substantial distance below said curb and positioned to direct a stream of fluid toward the path of the flow of the cylinder.

in the breaking of the tion of foliated glass, a bowl having a bottom outlet surrounded by an annular curb oyer which low viscosity glass flows in the form of a hollow cylinder, means for supplying air to the interior of the cylinder in suflicient volume to set and break up the glass issuing from said outlet, 2. receptacle for foliated glass, an enclosure for the cylinder in communication with said receptacle, and a fan arranged to establish a current of air between said enclosure and receptacle.

EDMUND H. WELLECH. WALTER C. WEBER. 

